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Chris Taylor
Guitarist Chris Taylor seemed to burst upon the scene with his release “Nocturnal,” (Abstract Logix) but the truth of the matter is, he is a well seasoned veteran with a lifetime of experience and an artist who is finally getting the recognition and accolades he deserves.
Taylor left the Berklee College of Music in ‘81 after three semesters to begin his professional career, and he’s been gigging ever since. “Basically, I ran out of money. The plan was to go gig for a while, make some money and then go back to Berklee. I ended up gigging for 20 years or so and never got back to school. And since then I’ve done every gig imaginable, some of which were great experiences and some I ‘d sooner forget, but you always learn something in every situation.”
Over the years, Taylor has played on innumerable sessions as a sideman and even contributed his own compositions on some recordings. But he had never taken the time to put his own album together, until now. “I never thought of myself as a leader,” says Taylor, “but I’ve been writing music since I was young in one way or another, composing is something that comes more natural to me in some ways than playing guitar I think. The last 10 years or so I have been trying to work more as a composer as well as in production , contributing tracks to TV shows, commercials, film and other musicians records along with doing quite a bit of mixing and remixing.
With “Nocturnal,” garnering favorable reviews, and the word on Taylor finally getting out, the years of dedication are reaping the results.
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Chris Taylor: You Know What I'm Saying?
by Mike Jacobs
From the guitarist's under-known stunner of a debut, Nocturnal (Abstract Logix, 2011), this tune effectively illustrates the be-ready-for-anything brilliance of the album in the sonic, compositional, and performance realms. Featuring an A-List cast throughout, the song and the album also offer one of the more compelling arguments that jazz--in a post-Sgt Pepper / Dark Side of the Moon world--could (and probably should) avail itself of the studio as a beautifully creative tool more often. ...
read moreChris Taylor: Nocturnal
by Glenn Astarita
New York-based virtuoso Chris Taylor spent 30 years behind the scenes as a session guitarist amid works for TV and various electronics-centered persuasions. Here, the artist steps out of the pocket for his freshman solo stint, supported by a distinguished roster of jazz-fusion artists performing on select tracks. Taylor's influences seem varied, and his impressive compositional pen parlays a complement to his guitar expertise. Featuring precision-oriented theme building, loose groove dialogues and flourishing arrangements, Taylors merges fury, muscle, ...
read moreChris Taylor: Never Make Your Move Too Soon
by Ian Patterson
It's taken 30 years, but you can't rush something if it's not there. Chris Taylor's debut recording as leader, Nocturnal (Abstract Logix, 2011), is the result of the direction his composing has led him these last two or three years, but it could be seen in a wider context as the accumulated experience of three decades working as a guitar playing sideman, composer and producer. The material is undoubtedly strong, and reveals a compositional maturity that usually only comes with ...
read moreChris Taylor: Nocturnal
by Ian Patterson
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention, and for guitarist Chris Taylor--whose financial dire straits forced him to abandon Berklee and return to gigging after three semesters-- this has proven to be an undeniable truth. That was thirty years ago, and Taylor's never looked back, gigging in every imaginable situation, and exploiting his natural bent as a composer to produce music for TV shows, commercials and films. Taylor's debut as leader has more than a hint of his cinematic, ...
read moreGuitarist-Composer Chris Taylor Casts a Spell with Nocturnal Auspicious debut by new discovery due out on Abstract Logix in May
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Abstract Logix
Seemingly from out of nowhere, New York-based guitarist-composer Chris Taylor has emerged after nearly 30 years on the scene with a brilliant, fully-realized first album as a leader. And though it's been a long time in coming, Nocturnal may be the most auspicious debut of the year. Reflecting the influences of such potent bands as Weather Report, Tribal Tech and the Zawinul Syndicate, as well as such guitaristic icons as John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Allan Holdsworth, Taylor's compelling album ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
